The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-03
THE w HEN
THE SUPPLY OF NATURAL GAS.
How Long Will the Flow Continue?-An In
structive Talk with DR.. A. J. Phinney.
80 Massachusetts Avenue.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
MUScIE April "a few days ago your corre-
spondent had most interesting and instructive
talk with DR.. A. J. Phinney, a wellknown geol-
ogist of this city, about the great naturalgas
fields of this section of country. The Doctor has
made study of this subject and what he said
will attract the attention of scientists in all
places Few people outside Ohio and Indiana
have any idea of the extent of the natural-gas
finds, and the excitement they have raised and
the developments and improvements they are
making There is only thing to question in
it all, and that is whether the supply will be ex-
hausted in years of consumption. I asked Dr.
Phinney what he thought about it, and he said.
1T is reasonable to suppose that the supply
will some time be eyhausted. To believe other
wise would be to SHUT ones eyes to all past ex-
periences. Leaving out of view the origin of
the gas, and admitting that the generation of
gas is still going on, it would not be likely that
the production of gas in natures great labortory
is taking place with anything like the rapidity
with which it is escaping from the thou
sands of openings made into the many reser-
volrs 1t Is obvious. then, that SO the
supply which has bsen stored away in the diff
ferent formations shall have become exhausted,
the supply will fail. Where only few wells
give exit to the gas from large reservoir the
SSpply viii probably prove practically in
exhaustble; but where hundreds and even
thousands of wells affording means of
escape we may expect the failure in the supply to
come the sooner. The Venango and Bradford
oil districts are now practically exhausted or soon
will be. and it is the common experience that
the supply OF oil is limited It cannot be other
wise with the gas. The most noted gas field of
I Ohio has hung out its danger signal and is
in tl,a
| wells bored at Findlay was $50 pounds per
| square inch. Now none exceed 400 pounds per
| square inch. The loss of fifty pounds of rock
pressure Indicates that just so much of the sup
| ply has been let out of tho reservoir. The rock
pressure in the gas fields at Muncie Ind
| keeps up full. There indications of a
] lessening of the flow, and do no. believe that
/ there is any danger OF exhaustion for many
| years"
| Iasked the Doctor if he thought the genera
tlon of gas still going on.
! ITO answer that" said he, IT would have to
| review all the theories regarding its production
however, as 1t is pretty generally conceded by
those who have had most experience in the
| study of the oil and gas fields that these
| products OF nature are derived from organic
4 matter, either vegetable animal, we may
safely conclude that the process is in a great
measure completed, for many millions of years
/ must have elapsed since it was stored away in
I the strata that were then forming. The sea-
| weeds Or fucods cellular in structure pos
SeSSlng no woody more. ana 1t Is to this class OF
| our ancient vegetation, which abundant
| during the paleozoic age that must look for
| the source OF very large portion of the gas and
oil that we are burning to-day. Another por-
| ton of the limestone gas and oil was undoubt-
| edly formed from the soft parts of the animals
| that lived in the of the early ages
| The amount of animal matter in some of
| our limestones is almost beyond comprehension
| In fact, the limestone strata nothing but
| charnel-houses, and they almost entirely
| built up from the remains of what was once ami
1 mated with life. The heat and light that we de-
rive to-day from gas, and oil. and coal Is but the
| sunshine OF past ages stored away In almost
| invisible fiuid-a repulsive liquid, black and
| sooty casket-to await the coming and serve the
| purposes of man."
Scientists In some parts of the country con-
| tend that natural gas is the evaporation of OIL
and that 1t is carried underground from the oil
fields by means of porous rock, and that, there
| FORE it can only be found where this porous
transmitter exists OF this theory Or. Phinney
says:
| This could hardly be the case where the res
ervoirs are in different geological formations or
| widely separated localities No doubt where
the rock is very porous ovsr extensive area
that many wells may derive their supply from a
| common reservoir, independent of any joints or
| cracks in the strata The gas is probably
| derived from either the rock in which we find it,
| or from some of the underlying strata"
| Have You any fear that the supply will run
out!"
| Inc cltiZens OF Muncie oeileve that they have
| already in their five wells found sufficient natu-
| raj gas to heat the homes and supply fuel for a
city of fifty sixty thousand people. and there
| is abundance for manufactures. believe three
million cubic feet per day is fair estimate OF
| the actual flow from our five wells. One vel
was tested, and the open pressure in two-inch
/ pipe was one pound This showed that the cur
| rent of escaping gas had velocity of 445 fee
per second, and flow of SAG, 720 cubic feet ir
| twenty four hours. The largest we'll at Muncit
would probably give about l.250,000 cubic fee
per day."